Jordan Valley Semiconductors (Israel)

ABSTRACTSoil fatigue, well-documented in various crops, presents a significant challenge to banana production by causing fast and then gradual declines in plant growth and yield over years of cultivation. Despite its impact on profitability, the underlying mechanisms driving soil fatigue remain poorly understood; however, a strong link to shifts in the soil microbiome has been suggested. We investigated the dynamics of microbial communities in relation to soil fatigue, using a novel semi-controlled outdoor experimental system. Soils at different stages of fatigue (0 to 42 months of banana cultivation) were generated in large containers filled with initially healthy soil. Banana plants grown in these soils were replaced with new plants which showed soil age-dependent growth. Three months postplanting, soil and root samples were collected for analyses of soil parameters and microbial community composition using bacterial (16S) and fungal (ITS) amplicon sequencing. We identified minor age-related shifts in mainly pH, potassium, and organic matter in the soil. While alpha diversity remained unchanged, significant shifts in bacterial and fungal community composition were observed in fatigued soils. Notably, the relative abundance of bacterial families such asFlavobacteriaceae, Pseudomonaceae, andAcidibacterincreased, as did some fungal taxa (many from groups with known pathogens)-Ceratobasidiaceae(includingRhizoctonia),Dothideomycetes, andStachybotryaceae. Simultaneously, the relative abundance of bacterial families with known beneficial members, includingGemmatimonadaceae, Moraxellaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, andAzospirillaceae, as well as symbiotic fungal taxa such asGlomeraceaeandLasiosphaeriaceae, declined. Thus, soil fatigue may be correlated to proliferation of pathogenic populations and a loss of beneficial microorganisms.

This study investigated the effects of self-monitoring and public posting on the cycling performance of competitive youth cyclists. We measured three primary dependent variables: performance volume, intensity precision, and performance-duration deviation. In addition, we evaluated self-monitoring accuracy and social validity. The participants were three males aged 14-16 years. We used an ABAB design to evaluate an intervention package that consisted primarily of self-monitoring and public posting. Athletes self-monitored their performance after training using an online summative Google Form. The coach publicly posted performance-based rankings on the social media application WhatsApp. Results indicate that the intervention package positively improved all performance measures across all athletes. Social-validity measures were also favorable.

The shift to cultivation of banana (‘Musa (AAA) Cavendish subgroup’) in screenhouses in Israel has resulted in a significant increase in plant height and, consequently, increased maintenance costs. Here, we evaluated the genetic approach to reducing plantation height. Advanced selections of the local cultivars ‘Adi’, ‘Zelig’, and ‘Gal’, selected for reduced height, were evaluated in the field. Growth and yield parameters were recorded and compared with the industry standard cv. ‘Grand Naine’ for four crop cycles. ‘Adi’ and ‘Zelig’ were shorter than ‘Grand Naine’, by 20% and 10%, respectively, whereas ‘Gal’ lost its short stature over the years. In addition, leaf area was reduced in the low-stature cultivars. Cumulative yield of ‘Adi’ and ‘Zelig’ was higher than that of ‘Grand Naine’, by 8.8% for ‘Adi’ and 5.0% for ‘Zelig’, due to higher plant density and number of harvested bunches. This multiyear study highlights ‘Adi’ and ‘Zelig’ as short-stature, highly productive cultivars with the potential for improved water-use efficiency.

Skin separation in ripe date fruits is not only an unpleasant quality, but it also reduces the market value of the fruit and causes financial loss to the growers. The skin defines the shape of the fruit during pre-ripped stages as a result of the internal turgor pressure. According to our studies, it is induced in part by high diurnal, cyclic stressors of turgor pressure changes prior to the fruit's ripening stage, and it is also influenced by environmental factors. It was also discovered that the mechanical qualities of ripe fruit skin in Majhul dates affect the separation of the soft tissues. The mechanical characteristics (visco-elasticity) of separated and non-separated fruit skin were found to be significantly different in our experiment. It is suggested that procedures for preventing skin separation be used.

Turgor pressure provides a sensitive indicator for irrigation scheduling. Leaf turgor pressure of Musa acuminate was measured by using the so-called leaf patch clamp pressure probe, i.e. by application of an external, magnetically generated and constantly retained clamp pressure to a leaf patch and determination of the attenuated output pressure P(p) that is highly correlated with the turgor pressure. Real-time recording of P(p) values was made using wireless telemetric transmitters, which send the data to a receiver base station where data are logged and transferred to a GPRS modem linked to an Internet server. Probes functioned over several months under field and laboratory conditions without damage to the leaf patch. Measurements showed that the magnetic-based probe could monitor very sensitively changes in turgor pressure induced by changes in microclimate (temperature, relative humidity, irradiation and wind) and irrigation. Irrigation effects could clearly be distinguished from environmental effects. Interestingly, oscillations in stomatal aperture, which occurred frequently below turgor pressures of 100 kPa towards noon at high transpiration or at high wind speed, were reflected in the P(p) values. The period of pressure oscillations was comparable with the period of oscillations in transpiration and photosynthesis. Multiple probe readings on individual leaves and/or on several leaves over the entire height of the plants further emphasised the great impact of this non-invasive turgor pressure sensor system for elucidating the dynamics of short- and long-distance water transport in higher plants.

Photoinhibition (PI; light stress) was studied in leaves of 3-year-old, potted, mango plants, following changes in chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics. Iron deficiency was induced by calcareous soil mix. It was found that during summer days, the photochemical quantum yield (measured as Fv: Fm) was reduced by 15% to 30% in sun-exposed leaves by noon (under 2000 μmol·m–2·s–1). This apparent PI was mostly recovered by the next day. In Fe-deficient plants, the reversible PI was enhanced further. In addition, Fe-deficiency increased the “I” phase (i.e., the QB-nonreducing centers) and the non-photochemical quenching (qN) and reduced the photochemical quenching (qP). Photosynthesis rates in the deficient plants were half the control rates. Overnight chilling at 7C, which by itself did not affect the Fv: Fm ratio much, dramatically increased the susceptibility of the plants to photodamage on the following day (indicated by fluorescence and gas exchange assays). This postchilling PI was mostly irreversible but could slowly (within about 1 week) be recovered in a thermostated greenhouse. These results agree with our observations of field-grown Fe-deficient mango trees that develop severe necrosis and leaf-drop each autumn in the Jordan Valley when the days are still sunny and warm and the nights turn cold.

Sixteen infants and toddlers from four kibbutz day nurseries contracted an illness comprising fever, conjunctivitis, respiratory infection, lymphadenopathy, otitis media, and a new sign, migratory palpebral erythema. Adenovirus type 3 was isolated from the pharynx of the first three children taken ill.